Tested and True
by PiperM91412
Summary: "Years after their Lemonade Mouth success, the band still bonded despite being apart. But what happens after those times? Olivia still hasn't forgotten the pain she felt after The Music Scene after Wen shot her down about the big reveal."
1. Chapter 1: Return

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lemonade Mouth or any of the names used in this chapter. Story cover credit goes to ****lemonade-stand on tumblr. **

**The title came from the song of Secondhand Serenade, listen to the song, I somehow incorporated the idea into the story. Honestly, I decided on the title last. I had a hard time thinking on what I should put.****  
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**A/N: Hey guys, I present to you my fic for Lemonade Mouth. I've had a lot of ideas for fics but I've had one concrete idea so far so I wanna share it. I've got a lot planned for this fic, and I'm surely entering the mature zone in which doesn't really comply with Disney. (Haha, it's true.) Hoping that the fandom is still alive despite the long announced cancellation of a sequel for the movie (it still is a bummer for me, really). Enjoy and read if you wish. I know there are still remaining lemon heads out there in the fandom. Send me a review about what you think. I have a long way to go here. **

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It's been a really long time since their freshman year of highschool. It's also been a long time since the group of misfits have met in detention to eventually form a band that would give a difference in their town and in the perspectives of other people. It's also been a long time since their interview with Moxy. That big reveal turned out to really just be an excuse for Mo to get out of that situation with her father about the relationship she had with Scott. It's been years and Olivia still has that stuck in her mind. She still remembers the time when she talked to Wen and he asked her if it was true. They had still been friends through the years but things were never the same again. It's been hard having to live through it over the years, and until now, things still aren't fully resolved with her feelings. She never dated, never had her focus on other boys, she never lost her feelings for him at all. And besides, she was still scared and awkward Olivia as always. They didn't talk much anymore. She pretty much drifted quite away from him. He tried to reach her but she always reasoned that she was busy with college and grad school. When he tried to reach her during summer, she would reason out that she was visiting her dad back in Pennsylvania where he was still detained. After a few years, he reached her less. He probably realized that his efforts didn't go anywhere. The five of them didn't get to see each other much anyway. Mo was in New York going to Med School while Charlie was back in Ohio once his parents decided to move there, he went to college in a university there but he still visited occasionally when he could. Stella was stationed in California after her mom got a job over there, even her little brothers got an opportunity to showcase their talents with building toys, Stella was still her usual self as an activist. And Wen, well, he was still in Rhode Island. They were the closest with each other when it came to home distances, but they were the farthest when it came to communication.

With that, she still achieved her dreams after their successful time as Lemonade Mouth. After getting her college degree in English, she went to grad school to pursue her masters in literature. She's always been a lover for the arts through words. She grew up with her grandmother as a child, even until her adolescence. She was always supplied with books, mostly the classics. As a teenager, she wrote letters to her dad in prison. She never lost her love for writing and literature.

She was sitting in her backyard, leaning against the bottom of a tree and reading another book under the blue sky. Her curly blonde hair was down and fell onto her left shoulder. She tried to change how she dressed or how she looked but nothing will ever change her as who she is. The place was quiet too, other than the occasional tweets of the birds flying around in the sky. It seemed peaceful. Her grandmother had died a few years back having succumbed to her old age. It broke Olivia's heart losing the only family she grew up with, but her friends didn't leave her alone. They were there for her along the way. She now lived alone in the house she grew up in. She thought about moving out and getting a place of her own where it was enough for one person. But she just couldn't let the house go or put it up for sale. There were just too much memories and happenings that lived with the house, happy or sad, the house was a part of her.

A few more words through the book she was reading and the doorbell rang. She put the book down and dusted off the skirt of the dress she was wearing. She also straightened her cropped denim jacket set over the white tank top. She went back inside to answer whoever was at the door, but she looked through the window at whoever it was outside. Looking through, she saw Mo. She immediately opened the door to welcome her Indian friend.

"Mo! Oh my god! How are you? When did you get in?" Olivia asked after their squeals and they hugged each other out.

"Well, here I am. Fresh out of Medical School. I just got in last night, wanted to surprise you guys," Mo smiled excitedly. Nothing really changed about Mo, she was still the supportive smart friend she is.

"Have you visited the others? Why didn't you call us for your graduation. You know we wanted to go, but you never gave away the date of the event," Olivia told her friend. It was true, they weren't updated about Mo's graduation. None of them flew to New York at that occasion because they didn't know when it was going to happen.

"Oh, come on. I meant for that to happen. It's fine, really," Mo held on to her friend's hands as she explained.

"Oh, come on in first." Olivia laughed as she forgot that they were still outside. They went in the living room and let Mo sit comfortably on the sofa. Olivia went to the kitchen to grab some drinks for the both of them. Surely, there's gonna be a long conversation for catching up. Olivia brought in a tray with a pitcher filled with their favorite lemonade along with two glasses and placed it onto the coffee table. She took a seat beside Mo.

"It's been a long time Mo. I know we still had our communication, but, with you being busy in Med School, those times were too seldom," Olivia said.

"I know, it was rough, and I can finally say I survived after all those years," she let out a sigh of relief. Olivia smiled at that.

"How are things?" Olivia asked.

"Well, as you know, I finally graduated Med School and could pursue my dream as a doctor. Baba and Maa are really happy as well, Madhu is now a freshman in highschool," Madhu was Mo's little sister. "Oh, and yeah, I have great news,"

"What is it?" Olivia asked, curious at whatever her friend was about to tell her.

Mo brought her hand up and showed a diamond ring on her finger, "I'm engaged," she gave a huge grin.

"Oh my god, Mo! Congratulations!" Olivia replied. She took her friends hand to have a better look at the ring, "Wow, that is a BIG rock," she commented.

"I was surprised, too. Didn't know Scott had it in him," Mo replied.

"After all these years, even after whatever happened in high school, you guys still managed to get through it and reach this point. I'm really happy for you, Mo." Olivia said and hugged her friend.

"Thanks Olivia," Mo said and released herself from their hug.

"When's the big day?" she asked.

"Just a month away, we want to keep it simple. We don't want a big wedding so theirs no need to have it too long away. There's not much planning to do anyway," Mo shrugged.

"Well, that's good. Who's invited?"

"Not much. Just you guys, a few of Scott's friends, a few of my friends from Medical School and a few friends back from Mesa High. My family and Scott's. That's it." Mo replied to her friend's question.

"Oh, so anyway, have you shown yourself to the other guys?" Olivia asked.

"No, actually. I wanted it to be a surprise. And I wanted to ask for your help," Mo hesitated for a while but asked Olivia anyway.

"Sure, anything." Olivia assured.

"I was hoping if we could all meet here at your house, have a little get together in your backyard. You know we had good times in your backyard, even though there were still painful times spent back there," Mo gave a sad smile.

She was right. It was in her backyard that she and Wen finally got to spend some alone time together to write the first song they performed at the bash, it was in her backyard that they bonded after her cat Nancy died, it was in her backyard that they spent their time just staring up at the sky and naming the odd shapes of the clouds, it was in her backyard where she got the news that her dad was being moved from Rhode Island prison to Pennsylvania. But even though, she had doubts about Mo's plan. People might be busy and not be able to come back to Rhode Island, but Mo insisted. She wanted to tell everyone the great news personally and not just through the phone.

"Come one, Olivia. Please, school just ended. And I know for sure that I'm the last one to get out of school here. I'm sure they're not busy at all. It's almost summer, it's vacation, nobody's busy. Please," Mo pleaded very much. She even gave that stupid puppy dog pout people would do if they wanted something badly. She stuck her bottom lip out and gave those sad eyes. Mo was lucky she had big round and brown eyes, they did good with this pout.

A few seconds later, Olivia couldn't resist Mo's pleading. She always had a soft spot for anything cute and her friend. "Oh, fine," Olivia said, surrendering to Mo's pout, "But you've gotta help me here," Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Yes!" Mo jumped with glee. "I swear I'm gonna help you, but you have to make sure that it would just seem like you invited me as well. That's how we're gonna play it. They might get mad at me for not showing up to them first anyway," Mo laughed and so did Olivia.

But there was this nervousness behind her laughter, there was also this fear after agreeing to Mo's plan. She had no problem with seeing the others. After a few years of being successful in the music industry, all five of them decided to take on their own paths in life and fulfill what they really dreamed individually. She missed them, but she knows that she still couldn't feel at ease being around Wen. He might not know it, but she still likes him. She never lost her feelings for him. After what happened years ago at that tv show, things just drifted apart and changed. She didn't know if she was ready to talk to him or see him again. She didn't know what was going on with his life anymore.

Just a little more into her thoughts and before she could answer more, Daisy, her cat, entered the room out of nowhere. Mo was surprised and Olivia picked her up to set the cat on her lap. Mo thought she was adorable, and petted the cat on its head. Daisy was once the little kitten that Wen gave her years ago, before Sydney and Wen's dad got married. The cat had light blue eyes and grey-and-white striped fur. She wore a light blue color with a heart stating her name. It did pain Olivia knowing that this wonderful cat of hers came from someone who hurt her unknowingly. But he doesn't know that, and besides, she loves cats. Daisy was the only one that kept her company after Gram died. The cat now relaxed and began to doze off on Olivia's lap.

"I can't believe it's been years. I remember when I saw her and she was still a little kitty. She's the one gave you, right?" Mo asked.

Olivia only gave a nod and a sad smile as she continued to stroke her sleeping cat's back. Daisy was still purring though.

"You still haven't forgotten him, have you? I mean, your feelings haven't changed after all these years," Mo asked again, she could feel the vibe from Olivia, it was sad and sorrowful.

Olivia nodded again but even her sad smile disappeared. The strokes she gave Daisy became slower and lighter.

"It's gonna be fine, Olivia. Things will go better, I'm here," Mo reassured to her friend. She was trying her best to comfort Olivia, knowing how fragile she is.

Olivia just stayed quiet and nodded at Mo's comment. She looked at Daisy and thought about the day Wen had given her the cat. It was such a special gift, and she was very touched. He knew how much she loved Nancy and he tried his best to make her happy by means of giving her a new cat to take care of. Daisy was nothing like Nancy but she sure is special too.

"I'll give them a call and make sure everything would be in place," Olivia finally spoke and looked up at Mo, giving her a genuine smile.

"I'll be the one to call Wen, don't worry," Mo again assured Olivia, it was the least she could do for her.

"Thank you, Mo," she smiled at her Indian friend and continued to stroke Daisy's back.

* * *

When Mo left, Olivia made some calls over to Stella and Charlie. Whilst being in Caifornia, Stella didn't do much. She had a part time job at her mom's laboratory but she was more than happy to know that she had an excuse to leave her job for at least a few days. Stella said that she'd be back in Rhode Island in a few days, specifically on Saturday. It was Tuesday and she still had to buy a plane ticket for herself. Since there was no specific date on when the other guys would be able to arrive, they would just plan it after they found out if their schedules fitted. After calling Stella, she typed in Charlie's number to give him a ring. He answered after a few rings and said their hellos. Charlie said he could return to Rhode Island, he could ask for a leave in the music store he worked in. It sold CDs and instruments of different kinds, he was in charge of the instruments. He said he would be arriving in two days, a few days before Stella. That would leave him time to crash at Wen's if he was permitted to. The thought of Wen gave a stinging feeling to her again. She wasn't obliged to call Wen, Mo said it herself that she would do the calling to Wen. Even though Olivia and Wen were the only ones left in Rhode Island and they were the closest living to each other, she still didn't bother to call him.

Olivia decided to play some music and switch from classical to a different genre. She looked at the stack of CDs placed on top of a shelf beside the radio, it was filled with different cds from different artists like Celine Dion, Frank Sinatra, heck, even Elvis Presley was part of the pile. But she decided to play one of her favorites, the first CD that was produced for Lemonade Mouth. She took the case and placed the CD into the player. 'Determinate' immediately played. She played their first CD, 'Live at the Bash'. The AV Club helped them produce the CD and even got some profits, this also helped get their song to play onto the radio. She remembered the first time before she heard the song, Wen had called her to put it on 'WRIZ' on which it was playing. She called Mo and the others as well to bring the news. Oh, those were the good days. In the middle of the chorus, into Wen's rapping, the doorbell rang. She wondered who could it be at this time of day, she expected no one else.

Mo just left and she made sure she was going to return the next day, was it that she forgot something? Olivia made sure nothing was left out of the ordinary and decided to check whoever it is at the door. She exited the living room and went to check, This time, she didn't look out the window beside the door. She just turned the knob and opened it. She was flushed to see who was standing outside. She was surprised to find Wen's younger sister outside the door. She was grown up now since the last time they had seen each other during their days in Lemonade Mouth. As Olivia knows, Georgie was going into the 8th grade now.

"Georgie, hey," Olivia acknowledged the presence of the girl, still surprised.

"Hey Olivia," Georgie gave a small wave back at the blonde girl. Georgie was a pretty girl, she had little and tiny freckles on her cheeks but she was a brunette. She had chocolate brown eyes to match her luscious brown curls. She wore a blue headband to match the blue cardigan she wore above a faded yellow dress and blue sneakers.

"What brings you hear?" Olivia asked.

"Oh, yeah. My brother wanted to give you something but he doesn't really want to show up just yet," Georgie gave Olivia a box. It wasn't wrapped or decorated like a gift but it was a box presentable enough to give to someone.

"What is it?" Olivia asked as she took the box from Georgie's hands.

"I'm not sure. Wen never told me, he just asked if I could give it to you myself," Georgie shrugged, all innocent girl looking. She was always the sweet type of girl.

"Thanks Georgie," Olivia said.

"You're welcome. It was nice seeing you Olivia!" Georgie said as she turned around to make her way down the steps of Olivia's little porch.

"Wait, you're not staying?" Olivia asked as she stopped Georgie who has already made her way a meter away from the steps.

"It's fine, I have to visit a friend. See ya, Olivia!" Georgie waved as she went to take a ride on the bike she left laying down on the grass. Olivia waved at the little girl before she made her way onto the sidewalk.

Olivia shut the door behind her and looked at the box in her hands, wondering whatever it was that was inside. She also thought of why would Wen give something like this to her. There was nothing special about today or any of the days that went by. She decided to give it a look and opened the box. She opened it to see a picture frame with a photo of them at Rising Star back in their highschool days. She laughed at the image cause they really looked miserable. They were standing side by side, hand in hand. Mo still looked flushed with her nose red due to the fever and cold she had, Charlie still had his fingers wrapped due to the accident he had that broke it and it even looked like it itched bad. Stella, even though nothing seemed wrong with her, seemed like she was about to cry. Olivia even chuckled at her own expression, also seemed like she was about to cry, but her throat also swelled a bit, showing the sign on why she had that strained voice at that day. Wen with his bruised eye, it had turned lighter and pinkish rather than being the violet and bluish color it had at first. Scott was at the far end right, his guitar slung onto him when he helped them regain that spotlight. They may not have won, but that night surely served as one of the most memorable days ever. Especially since the crowd themselves continued the song and stood up for them. Olivia smiled at the memory.

She looked back in the box to find a letter. She took the pink envelope and opened it. She took out the folded paper and flipped it open, it had Wen's handwriting.

_Dear Olivia,_

_It's been a long time since we got to talk and have a proper conversation. Whenever I tried to reach you, it's either you aren't available or you aren't around. You never seemed to have time when I tried. Even during the holidays or on your birthdays, I couldn't reach you, so I just left messages. I hope you got to read them, you never responded either. Anyway, here's a little something to keep up for the special days I missed. It's one of the best memories of our band, hang it on the wall with the other photos you cherished. At least I'll know that you at least had another thing to add to your precious treasures. I hope to see you soon, Olivia. Let me know when Georgie had brought you this gift. Till next time. Smiles._

_Your friend,  
Wen_

Olivia smiled after reading the letter. It pained her to think about him but it also made her feel at ease that he was still there, trying to reach out to her. He wanted to see her soon, and eventually they will get to. In a few more days, when Mo makes her big announcement to the others, they will be able to see each other again after all those years. How would she take it in to finally see him again? What would she put herself through. For now, she has to get ready. Anything could happen, anything could have happened through the years.

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**A/N: There you go guys, I present to you the first chapter to my LM fic. There's a lot to come so stay tuned. I love you lemon heads, let me know if the fandom is still alive. Hit fave and follow if you wish. Send me reviews. ;)**

**P.S: The name of Olivia's cat, the one Wen gave to her, I'll leave you a trivia. The name was the one used in the second book by Mark Peter Hughes. :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Reunion

**A/N: It might take a while before I would be able to present a new chapter. School is coming in a few weeks. But I promise I won't bail. Please don't bail on my story. I will try my best to put another chapter up as soon as I can.**

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Charlie had arrived last Tuesday and told that he would be crashing with one of his highschool buddies for the time being as he was in Rhode Island. Stella's arrival would be today as of what she had informed. Although, she didn't mention what time exactly she would be coming so she could pop-up at any possible time. Mo said that she would keep in touch and would just be staying at their old house in the town. Wen wasn't out of reach, he still lived in the same house in Rhode Island so he could be available anytime. Mo already gave him a call and informed him of the gathering. Mo specifically said that Olivia invited their old pals, and he wasn't surprised that Olivia didn't tell it to him directly. She's been avoiding contact from him, as much as possible, through the years.

Since Stella was arriving today, they decided to meet up tomorrow. They would just wait for Stella to get settled in wherever she would decided to stay, and then they would have it the next day. Everyone was already informed, so there was no problem at all. Mo said she would help out with what they needed to prepare, even things as simple as food. Besides, she was the one who thought about it in the first place. Olivia just had the setting, so she didn't really mind. It was getting kinda lonely in the house anyway. Actually, she was glad Mo showed up that day to bring her great news.

Olivia was busying herself in the kitchen, making some food for herself and for her cat, Daisy. Cooking herself some chicken broth and baking some good golden loaves. She taught herself how to bake to make herself busy while she wasn't writing. Just as when the loaves were done and brought out of the oven to cool, there was a knocking sound at the door. Olivia set her broth to low heat to avoid burning and wiped her hands on the apron on her waist before she went to the door to open up for whoever was her guest. She opened the door and a familiar face who immediately pulled her into a tight bear hug.

"Oh my gosh, Olivia! I missed you! Doesn't look like anything's changed about you," Stella continued as her hug on Olivia kept getting tighter.

"Hi, Stella. Could you release me a bit, I need to breathe," she says as she struggled to move from Stella's strong grasp.

"Oh, sorry. How are you?" Stella said. Nothing much changed about Stella, although her highlights were long gone and it was quite odd to see her hair in pure black shade. Her outfit also changed, losing the anarchy in some of her shirts and as well as the punk rock style, she still dressed like Stella but a toned down version.

"I'm good, still me as always," Olivia said as she looked at Stella from head to toe. "Wow, you've… changed." She paused before saying the last word.

"Yeah, well, we're not in highschool anymore. I'm still me, just looking more normal. I'm still not normal, though." Stella warned as Olivia was about to say something, considering her mouth was opened but no words came out.

"Alright, why don't you come in for a while and we could catch up?" Olivia suggested.

"Man, it feels great to be back in Rhode Island," Stella said as she shut the door.

Stella's visit was nothing out of the ordinary. She still was the goofy old Stella, only looking more matured. Her way of thinking hasn't changed, though. They told each other things that happened in the past few years like Olivia finishing her Masters in Literature. Stella had finished undergrad school back in California with a college program majoring in music. But she decided to take an internship in her mother's laboratory for now. She wasn't sure where she would bring her skills next and wanted to make herself productive for the meantime. Stella also shared some things about her personal life. She had mentioned to have dated a guy two years ago, which is a surprise since Stella wasn't the type who dates, and lasted for quite a while but they broke things off since the guy moved to Florida and she didn't want anything to do with long distance relationships. She had mentioned as well that she experimented and tried mixing things up a little bit with hitting on girls, which turned out to be much worse. She enjoyed the experience though, but she did get the final answer of her totally just being into guys despite her tough appearance.

Stella had looked around the living room while Olivia went to put some food into Daisy's bowl. She noticed a familiar photo, framed and hung on the wall beside the fireplace where some ceramics, little frames and figurines were placed. Pacing towards the photo, it became clearer and Stella laughed at herself at the sight. It was them, looking miserable after their performance at Rising Star back in their highschool days, when their band of misfits who met in detention rose to the spotlight.

Olivia had made her way back into the room. She had also brought some juice and some of the loaves she baked back in the living room to set on the coffee table for Stella. Seeing that her friend was standing in front of one of the best memories labeled into a photo, she smiled at herself and made her way carefully to where her friend was standing. She looked at the photo as she stood beside Stella.

"We look terrible." Stella said out of in the open.

"I know. Well, at least you and Scott were perfectly fine. Except that you look like you were about to cry." Olivia replied. She crossed her arms and flicked her hair behind her shoulder to fall onto her back.

Stella laughed, "I miss those days." She said after her smile faded.

"Lemonade Mouth, we are and always will be." Olivia said, almost whispered.

"Where did you get this photo anyway?" Stella asked, taking away her attention from the photo to her friend.

"It was a gift. Just given a few days ago. I was surprised too." Olivia replied, not taking away her gaze from a wonderful memory framed up on the wall.

"A gift? From who?" Stella asked.

"The guy who has a blackeye in the photo," Olivia replied softly, smiling at her reply.

Stella looked back once again at the photo, eyeing whoever it was who had a blackeye, and finally her gaze fell to a tall ginger standing beside her and Mo. "Wen." She whispered to no one in particular. "You told me this was given a few days ago, what's the occasion?" She asked Olivia.

"Nothing. Georgie brought it over, saying her brother wanted to give it but continuously chickened out. So she brought it over instead." Olivia replied, dropping her arms to her sides and facing her friend.

"The why did he give it?" Stella asked.

"He said he wanted to make it up to me for missing multiple occasions and important days. I was surprised to see the frame, actually. It's one of the best gifts I ever received." She smiled again.

Stella didn't reply at that anymore, leaving the conversation hanging. With the smile on Olivia's face, it was one of the things Stella missed the most. Her little awkward friend who is rarely genuinely happy. It would be a bust to break the air and cut her off her moment. She just returned her gaze back to the photo and remembered the good old days of Lemonade Mouth.

* * *

Stella had asked to stay for the time being she was in Rhode Island. She was too lazy to find a different place to stay if she was just going to be here for a few days. Their old house was already sold to a high-class family who wanted to live in a simple yet convenient household. So she was crashing at Olivia's place.

Mo had arrived at Olivia's house to help her prepare some food for their little gathering and was surprised to see Stella there already. She was extremely excited to see her old friend and Lemonade Mouth's lead guitarist. Although, she was also kind of pissed at Stella for not telling her that she's arrived. Stella reasoned out for wanting to surprise her Indian friend, which was a good enough excuse for Mo.

While Mo helped Olivia in the kitchen, Stella set up the picnic table beside the old gazebo in Olivia's backyard. She placed the table cloth on top and flattened it out, fitting perfectly down the edges. But then, the doorbell rang. Stella was curious, so she went back inside to check, even though Mo or Olivia could get the door. But as she entered, she saw her two friends still busy in the kitchen. She was on the other side of the kitchen's doorway, so Mo got a glimpse of her.

"Oh, good. Stella, could you go check on who it was? We're just finishing up here." Mo said as she paused from cutting some vegetables and wiping her hands on the apron she wore.

"Alright," was all Stella said before she proceeded to open the door to their visitor.

"Hey, Stella," was what the person on the other side said once the door was opened for him.

"Charlie! Come on in!" Stella said as Charlie entered the house, not wanting to leave him out too long.

"Girls! Charlie's here!" Stella blurted out into the room. Charlie furrowed his brow since there was no one else in sight.

"Oh, good! Send him outside. We're just about done." Said a voice from somewhere who Charlie assumed to be Mo.

"Hey Mo!" Charlie shouted across the room, understanding that Mo could at least hear it.

"Hey Charlie! Meet you outside in a while." Mo shouted again as Charlie and Stella made their way to the door to the backyard.

Stella brought Charlie outside to sit at the table, she went back in to fetch some refreshments to at least help quench Charlie's thirst. Of course, like always, she brought out their favorite beverage of all time. Some ice cold lemonade is the best. As they waited for the other girls to finish, they chatted and caught up with each other.

"Charlie, what you been up to?" Stella asked, fiddling with her fingers as she sat across the picnic table from Charlie.

"Graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering. I've been working in a music store back in Ohio. Staying close to instruments for now, I'll get there eventually." Charlie replied and shrugged.

"Well, your hair is still bushy as always. Have you ever thought about a haircut?" Stella asked. Referring to his still bouncy locks, just like the ones he had since highschool.

"I did get a haircut once, cut it clean. But I let it grow back, didn't really like it." Charlie shrugged again.

Stella was dumbfounded. "What the hell dude!" Charlie's eyes went wide, completely taken aback and surprised about Stella's reaction. "Why didn't you show us! We've been telling you for a long time to cut your hair. You never wanted to. But now you tell me you did and you didn't show me?! Oh, I'm offended." Stella set her hands hard on the table and leaned forward. "You better get another haircut before we leave again." She warned him.

"Uhh.. no way, dude. I'm not cutting my hair again." Charlie scoffed.

"Come on, Charlie. You just saw me with plain black hair. I repeat, plain black hair! A I the type to keep myself plain? No! Come on!" Stella kept pushing him to do it, but Charlie didn't budge.

"Well, now that you mentioned it, you do look crazy with plain black hair. I'm not really used to it." he said as he squinted and rubbed on his chin, a little stubble growing.

"Seriously, dude? Just get another haircut." Stella replied.

"Never ever." Charlie insisted. He really wouldn't budge. It was a surprise that not even Sistah Stella could force this bushy haired dude. Just as Stella was about to say something, Mo and Olivia finally came out with the food they prepared. They were dolled up and didn't even look like they just came from the kitchen. Which explains why it took some time before they showed up. Mo sat at the end of the table while Olivia sat beside Stella, leaving a space beside Charlie for when their former keyboardist arrives. They greeted Charlie and chatted, talking about some simple stuff that they didn't know. Stella still kept pushing Charlie for that haircut, but he really didn't budge. She still won't give up, though. She even told Mo and Olivia about Charlie getting a haircut and them not knowing. They gave almost the same reactions as Stella, only Olivia was very limited with her words and light on her emotion. But, yeah, she also wanted to see Charlie get a haircut.

"Come on, Charlie! Even they want to see you shave those locks off!" Stella exclaimed.

"No way in hell, Stel. I'm not shaving this off!" Charlie pointed to his hair.

"Fine, but least cut them!" Stella exclaimed again.

"I already told you and I'm telling you again, no." Charlie said.

This dude really didn't want to cut off his hair. But finally, Stella thought of a way to make him change his minds. It always works when takes matters into her own hands, literally.

"You really don't want to, huh?" Stella put a huge grin on her face and crossed her arms.

"What's with that face? Stella, you're always up to something when you have that face. Shit, Stella, you're creeping the hell out of me!" Charlie's eyes widened and he really became nervous. He was always uneasy when Stella had that mischievous grin, they all were when she does.

"You're gonna get that haircut, Charlie. I'm telling you right now, you're getting that haircut." Stella told him. She then whispered to Olivia and Olivia whispered back, making sure Charlie didn't hear. He really has a bad feeling about this.

Stella went back into the house and Charlie followed her with his gaze. Mo just looked at him, laughing at herself at the sight of Charlie's reaction. That boy was really scared, because Stella scares all of them. And when Stella's up to something, you would be so unlucky to be her victim. After a few minutes, Stella came back out. She looked the same, nothing out of the ordinary at the moment. Her hands at her sides, making her way back to the table but instead of taking a seat, she stood beside Charlie. He looked up, confused and still scared.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Stella stood straight, hiding her hands behind her, furrowing her eyebrows at him.

"You won't cut your hair? Then I will!" Stella brought out her right hand holding a good pair of scissors.

"Oh, shit!" Charlie suddenly jumped out of his seat once Stella held up the scissor.

"Come on, Delgado! Lemme get some of those locks!" Stella said as she took little steps towards Charlie who also made his way stepping backwards. After a few steps, he made a run for it. Olivia's backyard had a good enough space and size for them to be able to run around.

"Shit, Stella! Put the scissor down!" Charlie said in between breaths as he tried his best to stay away from Stella's dread.

"Delgado! I wanna lay my hand on those locks! If you won't cut them, I'll let Sweeny Todd do it!" there was real terror in Stella's voice. It did seem like she wanted to kill somebody. Which was scaring even Mo and Olivia. If they were scared, think about how Charlie feels like being the target.

"Alright! Fine! I'll get it cut! Just put those scissors down, I feel like I'm gonna die today already." Charlie surrendered. Halting and putting his hands in front of him to protect himself from his crazy friend.

"Good choice," Stella winked and imitated those old cowboys from the Wild West, twirling the scissors in her hand and shoving it into her back pocket. Just as Stella puts away the scissors, the doorbell rings. All of their attentions goes to the sound.

"Uhm, guys, could one of you get the door, please?" Olivia asked softly. Charlie and Stella were puzzled, but Mo understood. Olivia said those words since she knew who was their guest. He was the last one to arrive and he was the only one missing right now.

"I'll get it." Mo immediately stood up and patted Olivia's shoulder. She proceeded back inside to open up the front door. Mo was out of sight when Stella and Charlie finally made their way back to the table. Taking their seats and taking a sip of lemonade from their glasses. They needed it, considering they ran for a good 5 minutes before Charlie finally gave in. Besides, no one can escape the horror and evil that is the ego of Stella. Well, she was Stella, and Stella is just being Stella. Who will continue to haunt you for the rest of your lives.

Mo finally came back carrying a small basket of baked goods in her hand with a familiar looking tall redhead following behind her. He still looked like himself, like nothing has changed. It's been years, but he was still the same. The fluffy red hair but was slightly trimmed down, the freckles on his face, his tall and slenderness, his awkward walk. Yup, nothing changed. He did look more mature though, not like the highschool look anymore. He looked better.

"Look who decided to finally show up!" Mo said as she placed the basket on the table and took her seat at the end of it. She pointed the ginger to take his place beside the old band's drummer and Stella's victim, which was basically just Charlie. He did give the bushy haired boy a pat on the back and the usual fistbump guys give to each other as greetings. He also gave one to Stella and a hug to Mo. He simple nodded at Olivia, who refused to look at him directly. She gave him a small "hey" to his "Hello, Olivia." He still didn't get her being so far from him, but he didn't want to push her.

"Wen, Dude! Why didn't you arrive earlier before Stella harassed me with a pair of scissors?!" Charlie exclaimed as he punched his seatmate on the arm.

"Ow, that actually hurt, dude. Why did she harass you anyway?" Wen asked as he also took a drink from his glass of lemonade set in front of him.

"She wants me to get a haircut because she was pissed, they were pissed actually, when I told them that I already did but didn't tell them." Charlie explained.

"Oh, I remember that time. I thought you showed them so I didn't bother to tell." Wen said.

"What the?! You knew too?! Oh, for crying out loud!" Stella threw her hands up in defeat and annoyance. "You're really getting that haircut, Delgado. If you don't, I'm gonna go all Sweeney Todd on you." Stella warned and pointed sharply at Charlie.

"Fine, fine! Jeez, I still wanna live." He held his hands up again for protection, no one knows what Stella could do.

They continued their conversation, the usual catching up with each other after all the years of being apart and not being together. It's been a long time when they decided to put Lemonade Mouth to a rest and decided to lay low from the media. People still gave their usual greetings and still continued to be familiar with them whenever they were outside, but they didn't want to attract too much attention. So they kept themselves busy, all of them going to college and finishing. Stella let out a question.

"Hey, Wen. Where did you get the photo?" she asked out of nowhere.

"What photo?" Wen was confused, his eyes squinted.

"The one hung up in Olivia's living room. The one from Rising Star." Stella mentioned.

"So, I see you got the package?" Wen asked the blonde girl who was looking down at her clean plate. She just nodded and didn't say a word. It was unusual, yeah, Olivia was a really quiet and awkward girl. But she broke her shell and let herself out when they became a band, seeing her back to being like this was not something they were used to anymore.

"My dad took the picture. It was a great one, I just had to frame it." Wen said.

"Why give it to Olivia?" Stella suddenly asked.

Wen was quiet, he didn't know how to answer Stella's question. He was dumbfounded. He rubbed the back of his neck, seeming nervous. He was lost for words but his friends, aside from Olivia, still stared at him and waited for the answer. "Well, she was the nearest one from home. So, I decided that I would give to her, since, I can reach her fastest." He shrugged.

Stella knew it wasn't that. There was something about his gestures that made it seem like he was hiding something, but she didn't want to say that. So she just accepted his answer for now. But with Stella being Stella, she is bound to find out what's going on in that strawberry blonde dude's head.

"Anyway, what was the actual reason for this sudden agenda of a gathering? I know we haven't seen each other in years, but it wouldn't be too swift if it was just that." Charlie said, deciding to change the topic. Olivia let out a sigh, thanking Charlie in her head for changing the subject.

Mo suddenly raised her hand, revealing a huge rock on her ring finger.

"Holy shit, that's a big rock!" Stella said, shocked and surprised.

"I'm engaged, guys." Mo said and squealed.

"To whom?" was all Charlie could say, he was surely surprised but there was a mixture of a different emotion in it.

"Scott Pickett, of course. Who else would it be?" Mo said as she lay her ringed hand on the table in front of her.

"Wow, you guys came a really long way." Wen said. It was true, despite their short break-up in highschool, they reunited and stayed together after that. They stayed strong and were tight ever since.

"Yeah, I know." Mo agreed.

"So, when's the wedding?" Stella asked, still checking the huge rock on Mo's finger.

"In a month. I'm not rushing, it's just that I don't want a big wedding so there's not much planning to do. Baba agreed to have the wedding in an American fashion. It took some good convincing for him to agree to it, he really wanted to push the Hindu style wedding." Mo shrugged and sighed in relief, glad that the cat's out of the bag. They said their congratulations to Mo and continued to talk and share laughs. It was these kind of moments that would make Olivia feel happy. Being with her friends and the people she loved the most. She smiled at the sight in front of her, they were all happy. Even Wen was happy.

The day was about to end and they had to leave. Charlie left first, saying he wanted to visit an old friend before the day totally ends. Stella was crashing at Olivia's place but she decided to go out and buy a few stuff she needed while she was staying. Mo and Wen decided to stay for a while to help Olivia clean up. Mo picked up the tray where the pitcher and glasses were placed and brought it back into the house. Wen picked up the remaining plates and utensils as Olivia removed the table cloth and folded it neatly to throw into the laundry. They brought the things back inside. He made his way to the kitchen and she to the laundry room. Mo stayed in the kitchen to wash the dishes and Wen followed Olivia just as she made her way back into the living room. She told Mo she would help because it was her house anyway, but Mo insisted that Olivia take a rest and that she would finish cleaning up. Mo was a good and genuine friend, Olivia couldn't turn it down.

As Wen entered the living room, he saw the photo hanging beside the fireplace. The photo he had saved for years and decided to give it just a few days back. Well, he couldn't have given it if not thanks to his little sister, Georgie. He took a seat beside her on the couch and leaned forward, pressing his hands together and looked at her.

"How are you, Olivia? Been a while." He said.

"I'm fine." Olivia replied, laying back with her legs crossed. She stared at nothing in particular but looked blank.

"I'm sorry, about what happened a few years ago after the interview." He said as he sat up and apologized.

"There's nothing to talk about, Wen. It's fine, I told you." She said, her expression didn't change.

"If it was fine, then, why weren't you talking to me? Why were you avoiding me?" he asked.

"I wasn't avoiding you, I was just busy." She said.

"You can't be busy all the time, you can't even reply to any of my messages. Not even to any of my greetings." He continued.

"I was busy." She said again.

"Really? Alright, what were you up to?" he asked.

"I was taking up my masters after I finished college. I wanted to focus on that." She told him, still not looking at him.

"You don't take masters all year long, you don't have classes during the holidays, you only had a few units to finish up for it." he exclaimed.

"I was busy, alright? I just was." She told him as she finally turned to him.

"Well, are you busy now? Because it was obvious that you wouldn't even bother to look at me since I arrived." He shrugged and sat back.

She stayed silent, not knowing what to tell him. She had no excuse left now, he was there and they were hanging out with friends, there was nothing to be busy about. She knew that he had an idea on why she was acting like how she was, but she didn't tell him or blurt it out. They just sat there until Wen decided to leave and go home. He bid her goodbye and he did as well to Mo. She just sat there as she heard the front door close and him vanish from her home.

"You gotta talk to him, Olivia." Mo sad as she entered the room. Olivia knew her Indian friend was right, but she wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to face him properly again and form a proper conversation with him. The conversation they had earlier didn't count, she just pushed him away. She would, eventually. She still had to think and formulate what she wanted to tell him. In time, she will.

* * *

**A/N: There you go, guys. I know it's not much but there was still fun with the Stella and Charlie part, right? Hope you guys enjoy. It'll take a while before the next one comes up, but I will try my best to get it done. School starts in a week and it's goodluck to me for my sophomore year in college. Send me a review, please. Tell me how you feel. **


	3. Chapter 3: Beginning

**A/N: Thanks for being patient. Here's the next chapter. I know it's a little bit shorter than the others, but I decided it was a good time to cut it. I'll try to get another on up soon. For now, enjoy. Send me a review, guys. I would really appreciate it. Thank you. :* **

* * *

Olivia and Mo decided to meet down at a local diner, it wasn't Dante's, which brought something else to their plate. Dante's was a special place for the five of them, but it also brought up some memories that weren't good to be remembered at this kind of situation for Olivia. They both had breakfast there.

"I swear, Olivia. You gotta talk to Wen. Things haven't changed, your feelings haven't. You just tried to avoid the constant pain that memory reminds you of. Just clear things up, you have to. It's been years already." Mo said as she took a sip from her coffee cup. She was just looking out for her friends. The past few years, she saw that Olivia wasn't happy, as in genuinely happy. There were those times where she smiled because it was a moment to celebrate like when they had graduated highschool, or when she finished college, or when she finally got her master's degree, they were goals that she had achieved and challenges she had surpassed, but Mo knew that her friend was lonely. Those moments were considered to be big parts of a person's life, but it also only covered the loneliness Olivia had inside. She lost her mom as a child, her dad was still in prison and was not permitted to bail, her grandmother had died after she had graduated college, Lemonade Mouth was disbanded and decided to exit the music industry, her friends went their separate ways to continue their own personal dreams, and she lived alone. That list doesn't even include the moment that keeps haunting her, the big turn-down for her. Daisy, her cat, was the only one that kept reminding her that she wasn't alone at all. Mo knew to herself that she was one of Olivia's best friends, but she wasn't always there to be her by her side to keep her company everytime. She can feel her friend drifting away but by bit. Ever since that night at the interview all those years ago when the band was all fresh under the spotlight, things about Olivia has changed. She was more taken aback and reserved than she was when she was with the band. It seemed like she was back to hiding in that old closet of hers like she had no protection from predators, she was a scared kid again. She had that idea in her head that she was better off alone. She kept things from them and stopped reaching out. They were the ones trying to reach out to her now, it just fell back to how they used to as they met. That's Olivia's case, it's very saddening and it hurts her.

"I will, eventually. I just don't know if I'm ready. You know I'm not good with this stuff." Olivia replied as she took a bite from the omelet she was digging into for breakfast. She took a sip from her orange juice to help her swallow the food in her mouth.

"You know how persuasive I can be. I'm worse than Stella." Mo warned her friend.

"You don't have to tell me that, I know how pushy you can be." Olivia retorted. She took the final bites of her breakfast and gulped down the remaining liquid in her glass.

"Call him now and tell him you want to talk and meet up. I'm tires of seeing you like this. I can't imagine how long you can stay hiding and alone. I miss the Olivia I helped out of the shell. I miss the talented main songwriter of Lemonade Mouth. The Olivia I'm talking to is the Olivia before detention." Mo explained. She really missed the fun Olivia that wrote songs and stood as the band's lead vocalist and frontman, she missed her very much.

"Fine, I will." Olivia finally gave in to her friend's constant begging, persuasion, and guilt trips. She just couldn't stand making her friends worry about her. Well, at least she couldn't stand when they were making it obvious that she was making them feel like that. She pulled out her phone and looked for the name on her contact list. It's been a while since they had a proper conversation, the one they had last time didn't really count as proper. She clicked on the dial button and put the phone against her ear. She waited as it rang for a few seconds before the other line picked up.

"Hello?" A voice came from the other end.

"Yeah, hi. Do you wanna get a drink and meet-up sometime? Maybe we could start catching up with each other again." Olivia sighed. She felt ridiculous with her choice of words but it still lead to the same idea. She glanced at Mo as her friend gave a sincere smile. If she was just the type of person who would brush that gesture off or roll her eyes, she would, but she wasn't.

* * *

They decided to meet up and go to the old juice bar they went to before. The place was so familiar, considering it was where she and Wen went to have a talk before Rising Star. It was where he had shown her that bruised eye after helping his dad with that painting. It was also where she had exploded with all those words regarding him no being thankful or appreciating what he had. It was a moment that gave her a sore throat and scratched her beautiful singing voice for weeks. It was the moment that she had told him that she joined the band despite being scared as a mouse and put all her fears aside just for him.

She arrived at the juice bar and saw Wen through the glass of the shop, sitting comfortably as he scanned and fiddled with his phone. She let out a deep breath and entered the shop to take the empty seat in front of him. She had nudged the little table slightly which made his juice shake a bit and him startled.

"Oh, hey. You made it." Wen looked up and stopped from scanning through his phone. "I was gonna call you, thought you had some trouble." He shrugged.

"Sorry about that. I know an hour was too much to wait for. Took some time to prepare." She replied.

"Now I finally get people saying that they're just fashionably late." He gave a small laugh. "You want me to get you a drink? What would you like?" He asked as he was about to stand up.

"Oh, no. It's fine, you don't have to bother. I'll just get my own." Olivia said, a bit embarrassed. She was already freaking late, it would be too much after making him wait for an hour.

"It's alright. It's the least I could do after missing years with you. What would you like?" Wen insisted and smiled.

Olivia smiled back but shyly at his gesture and offer. "Strawberry smoothie, please?" She hesitated for a moment but succumbed to it eventually. He nodded before he made his way to the counter and place her order. With that kind of sincerity, it was rude to turn it down. He was just trying to make up to her even though it wasn't his fault. That last part made her flinch a little bit, because it was like he was the one saying sorry even though he didn't do anything. It didn't take long before he came back wit a drink in hand and placed it on the table in front of her.

"I remember this place, good memory." Wen said out of nowhere as Olivia took a sip from her drink. He smiled while looking down at the table, probably thinking of the time of their somewhat interrogation and fight.

She wondered why it was even a good memory for him. It wasn't really a pleasant thing to remember considering her outburst and what she made him feel. Wen looked up and saw Olivia's questioning expression, he thought she probably didn't understand how it was supposed to be a good memory or maybe she just doesn't remember that time at all. She just nodded and didn't reply with words. It killed him, with her being like this. It was like she completely walked out and away from him, the Olivia he met before was gone. He missed her. He knew that he was at fault for her being like this, or at least that was what he thought. He recalled the event that possibly fractured their 'friendship'. It wasn't a good thing to do, but he didn't want to pretend. Wen shook himself awake a bit and decided to brush the memory off because it wasn't something to bring back.

"So, how are things going? I heard you finished your masters degree?" he decided to bring up a different topic.

"Yeah, I did. Finished in Literature." She replied as she took another sip from her drink.

They continued with small talks and Olivia was starting to open up again. This made him smile, at least she was coming back, even just bit by bit. She was cracking her shell again and it was a good thing. A little more of these small talks and conversations or bonding times, and he could have his best friend back.

* * *

Wen suggested that he drive her back to her house. It wasn't too far away and she could walk some blocks, but he was a total gentlemen to not let her walk alone while the sun was about to go down. He asked if they could maybe meet up again sometime and he could also maybe show her around his place. He left his dad's home when he went to college and decided to save up for his own place. He said he didn't want to add to the growing number of people in that house. Georgie had grown up and Sydney had given birth to twins. He was grown enough to live on his own but his dad insisted that he at least help his son pay for his new place, so he just agreed.

"I guess I'll see you again sometime. Just give me a beep if you want to." Wen told her as she opened the car door.

"Sure. You won't be busy?" Olivia asked.

"Not really. Just call me and I'll be there." Wen replied and smiled.

"Alright. Thanks for the ride home. You have a safe trip." Olivia said as she got out of the car.

"Goodnight, Olivia." He said before she could close the car door.

"Goodnight, Wen." She replied and shut the door before walking up the porch and into the house.

* * *

She lay in her bed and turned to her side with only the lamp on the bedside table serving as the light in the room. It was already 11 in the evening and she was having trouble fall asleep. He day spent with Wen was something she never thought would happen again after that day. It felt nice being normal around him again like nothing happened. She could move on and try to forget, but she knows she just can't. It was something that brought so much pain to her life. It added to the long list of very unfortunate events that is Olivia's life and people she loved. She recalled that moment again.

_The show had just finished for the night and they were brought back to their dressing rooms to pack-up. One of the crew members or producers of the show told them to wait inside their dressing rooms until the limo service would arrive. The girls shared a dressing room, but Stella and Mo have gone out and decided to explore the studio after being given the permission by the producers. So, Olivia was alone in her dressing room, sitting on the couch against the wall and doing nothing. She sat there and stared at nothing in particular as she waited for her friends or the news about their ride back to the hotel. She leaned herself on the right side of the couch with her knuckle pressed against her cheek and elbow resting on the couch's right arm. After a few minutes before she would doze off, the silence was broken with a knock on the door. She didn't bother to stand and just told whoever it was to come in. Wen appeared. _

_He closed the door behind him and said hi. Olivia pointed him to the spot beside her and he took a seat. He had a certain look on his face that was sure to be negative. She wondered if there was something bothering him but didn't ask._

"_Olivia, what you said earlier.." he trailed off. "You did a good job saving Mo. We both did." He whispered but refused to look at her._

_Something struck Olivia that made her gut wrench but she wasn't entirely sure what it was. "Yeah, we did." She replied in a normal tone as much as she could._

"_Well, do we have to keep pretending, at least for the cameras?" He still said it softly but this time, he turned his head and looked at her._

_That was it, that was what caused the pain in her gut. But with the direct answer, even her chest felt like it was electrocuted with more than a thousand volts to stop it from beating. Had he just shot her down? She was taken aback, but she didn't want to show it to him. She was quiet for a second because of what she had heard, but she refused to let him see how affected she was. She should just let him think that she had done it purely to save Mo from her dad embarrassing her on national television than rather than showing him how hurt she was and showing what she truly felt. It was better that way._

"_Yeah, at least for a while, then we can eventually say that we decided to be friends and broke up." Olivia replied, trying to hide the shakiness in her voice. She guessed she succeeded at hiding it since he replied like nothing was going on._

"_Alright. Well, the producer told me that the limo driver just arrived. We better find Stella and Mo." Wen said._

"_Why don't you and the guys go on and look for them, I'll just arrange a little bit around here." She told him as she made a circling motion to portray the room around her. Wen just nodded before he stood up and made his way out the door. He closed it behind him._

_Olivia didn't know what to do. She didn't want to cry, not here, it wasn't safe to cry here. Her chest felt like it was being sucked by a vacuum, it hurt that much. Her brain was slowly processing what had just happened. He had just shot her down after her big reveal on television. Now she has to live a lie of dating him only for the cameras even though she really wanted to. That ginger, she had opened up to him that time of that outburst. She had told him that she joined and continued to be in the band for him. Had he not remembered that? She thought he felt the same way because he showed signs of it. Like the time when they wrote 'Determinate' together. The time when they had looked into each other's eyes and he said "I like it when you smile". The time before they first performed at the Halloween Bash and she almost chickened out by hiding in the bathroom, he, along with the others, had gone to her to support her. He even told her that he believed in her. There was also the time when he had given her Daisy as a little kitten. Even during their performance of 'Livin on a High Wire' earlier was really convincing. But she guessed that he was right, they did a really good job at pretending to like each other that they even convinced each other that it looked real. Only that, she didn't want to pretend. _

She snapped back into the present day when her phone rang, or rather, beeped. She checked it out to see a text from Wen.

_Hey, you still up? –Wen_

She smiled as she read those small set of words. She replied instantly.

_Yeah, still am. –Olivia_

She set the phone down back on the bedside table and waited if there would be another text. She wasn't disappointed. The phone beeped again.

_Kinda odd to know you're still up this late. You didn't used to stay up all night before. Wait, I think my first text just fell on itself. /insert facepalm here/ -Wen_

She laughed at his ridiculousness. He was funny, he never lost that charm.

_Haha, I think your head is getting mixed up. I think you should rest. –Olivia_

She clicked the home button on her phone but another message instantly came in.

_I will when you will. –Wen_

She typed her words onto the keypad and clicked send.

_Fine. I will. –Olivia_

Again, another beep and message appeared.

_You better. And don't think that you get to stay up when I go to sleep even though you say you would. I commanded my instinct to tell me if you are and you're not asleep. –Wen_

She smiled again and typed a few words.

_Fine. I promise, I will. Goodnight Wendell. –Olivia_

A message immediately popped up just after at least two seconds within sending her last message.

_Goodnight Livy. Talk to you again sometime. –Wen_

She smiled and set the phone again. It's been a while since he's called her Livy. It's been years. Well, maybe it was time to forgive and forget. Whatever had happened was now part of the past. The memory will remain, but will be stored at the back of her head for good. He was still her best friend, nothing will change that. Yes, it was definitely time to welcome everyone again. Especially Wen, she missed that ginger very much.

* * *

**A/N: Our dear Olivia's decided to stop pushing away people again. I would say 'yipee!', but there will still be painful things that will happen as this goes on. I'm giving you guys a headstart with that, no further spoilers. Just something to keep you thrilled as you waited. *wink* Send me a review, love you guys. :))**


	4. Chapter 4: Colors

**A/N: Thank you guys for the continuous support you're giving my story. Thank you as well for believing in my "skills". I know it's been a while, blame College and the never-ending work to do. Also blame the hectic deadlines. Thank you also for being patient. I'm just busy with school, I'm really being thrown into the books. Anyway, I do write this when I have some free time. **

**Since I am not a resident nor have I ever been in the United States, most of the places I create are purely fictional (unless it matches a real place that really does exist, it would be purely coincidental).**

* * *

It was almost noon and the sun was barely up in the sky thanks to the thick and dark clouds covering it. It didn't look like it was noon, it actually seemed like night was approaching. Just a few days ago, things with her and Wen got a little bit lighter. Little by little, she's opening up to him again. But she understands that there is already a fine line with her letting go, too much would hurt her again. This time, it was just to be friends. She kept warning herself about it, reminding herself of what the consequence could be if she put herself out there too much again.

Olivia was out checking the books she reserved from the bookstore at the edge of town. She had taken a taxi instead rather than to bring her bicycle out here, it was too far for her to pedal. As she checked out a number of books and were placed into a brown paper bag, she left the store and decided to get a drink for herself at the coffee shop next door. She settled her things on one of the small tables near the counter so that she could eye it as she ordered her drink. As she was about to take out the money from her wallet to pay for her drink, someone came from beside her and set down some few dollar bills to pay for her order. The one by the cash register took it and punched it in. She looked up to see who it was and was very surprised to who it was.

"Uhm, Ray, that was my order you just paid for." Olivia said to the blonde haired guy beside her. She wasn't totally surprised and exactly happy to see this dude after many years. So she had no reason to be ecstatic.

"I know. Come on Olivia, it's fine. I'm not stealing your drink, just paying for it. Consider it my treat." Ray Beech replied. Former lead vocalist of Mudslide Crush, biggest jerk ever in the lives of those misfits from Mesa High.

Olivia rolled her eyes and went back to her seat to wait for her to be called and claim her drink. As she sat down, Ray was gentleman and respectful enough to ask her if he could join her rather than just steal the seat and just position himself in the same table as her. It's been years and she wasn't that shallow of a girl to hold the grudge against him. Besides, he paid for her drink, the least she could do was to catch up with a familiar face. There's nothing wrong with that. A minute later, her name was called for her drink, Ray insisted that he get it for her so he can order one for himself (he totally forgot to order one when he was still in line). She thanked him for the simple kindness in his gesture.

"What you been up to?" Olivia asked Ray as she took a sip from her drink and placed the bag of books beside her seat on the floor.

"Well, ever since Mudslide Crush was disbanded a few years back, I decided to stay in the music business. Asked help from my parents and decided to move to LA for more opportunities. I'm in a band again but not lead vocals anymore, steadied for lead guitar, just like what Scott used to be." Ray replied and it was kind of settling for Olivia that he didn't have that jerkiness in his voice or vibe anymore. He was still Ray but was more mature than how he used to be.

"Good for you. How has your band been doing? Cool gigs?" she decided to ask more about the continuation of his musical career.

"Well, we're not as big as how Lemonade Mouth was but we're doing good. We'll get there eventually. We actually have a meeting in two weeks with one of the biggest record dealers in the country, hopefully we would get it." Ray narrated.

"That's nice. Good luck with that. I'm sure you'll get it. You guys were awesome in highschool. I'm sure the impending huge crowd and fans proved that." Ray laughed at her comment.

They shared different stories and information. Ray Beech hadn't finished college, his parents left him with that decision if he wanted to pursue education or his life in music. His parents were all out supportive and believed that he would make it far in the business. Besides, Ray Beech's father had one of the biggest names in the marketing industry. His dad owned a big company for realestate, Ray had a big brother so his dad didn't force him to pursue being in the same industry. Ray had also mentioned that he and Scott were still in contact and were still good friends despite the incident years ago when Scott decided to help Lemonade Mouth from embarrassment at Rising Star. He also knows about the upcoming wedding and that he would be Scott's best man of course.

The rain had started to pour and the sky was really dark. A thunderstorm was attacking since flashes of lightning was constant and thunder rumbled in the atmosphere. Olivia wasn't a big fan of this kind of weather. It terrified her and reminded her of bad memories from the past. Ray insisted that he bring Olivia home in his car rather than she take a cab. He owned one of those sports cars that guys his age would drool over. She gladly accepted his offer and she pointed him to the address where she lived.

After more than two hours of driving, which actually took longer than usual thanks to traffic and unclear road, and they had finally reached Olivia's home. Ray brought out an umbrella he took from under the backseat of his car before he went out and walked over to Olivia's side to shield her and her stuff from the heavy rain until they reached her porch.

"Thanks Ray. Glad we could catch up." Olivia said as she finally was under the roof of her porch.

"Yeah, nice bumping into you. See you at the wedding." Ray waved goodbye and returned to his car just as Olivia unlocked the door to her house after taking the keys from her pocket.

* * *

It was already night and the rain had already stopped. Once she got home, the rain had lessened and eventually only the feel of the wind would give the chills. Olivia was laying in her bed wearing some blue pair of pajamas with her hair put up in a messy bun. She was on the phone with Mo.

"Why does it seem so quiet? Isn't Stella staying with you?" Mo asked from the other end of the line.

"Yeah, she is. But she's actually busy being knocked out and snoring loudly in her room at the other end of the hall. I am so glad that the extra bedroom was far from mine, or else I wouldn't get any sleep at night thanks to Stella's loud snores." They both laugh at his because they both know how true it is with Stella's loud snoring. It was so hard to live through it during the times when they were on tour for Lemonade Mouth and the girls had to share a room.

"What have you been up to today? Don't tell me you locked yourself at home again. You gotta get out of the house sometime. Just tell me and we can totally go on a girl's day out." Mo said excitingly.

"I was out today. I actually ran into Ray Beech this morning." Olivia said.

"Really? I thought he was in LA. He lives there now." Mo added and sounded just a bit surprised. Since she was wit Scott, surely she was still in contact with Ray every once in a while.

"Yeah, he paid for my drink. At least I scored some free beverage." Olivia said. They both laughed again like total teenage girls. It felt great to have simple laughs like this.

"How did he look? Still the same but not jerky anymore, right?" Mo replied.

"I know. I was really surprised. He says he' still in the music business. I wish him luck." Olivia added.

"It's actually great that even after Mudslide Crush, he still pursued his dream." Mo returned.

They were like teenage girls on the phone for hours. It was odd that they didn't even realize it was already so late at night that it was just an hour before. Mo eventually said she needed to get some shuteye since she had wedding arrangement plans the next day. Olivia put down the phone and was about to turn the lights out when her phone rang. The contact showed Wen's number on the screen. Olivia sat back down on her bed to answer her phone.

"Hello?" Olivia started.

"Hey, Livy. Did I bother you? Did I wake you up? Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." Wen babbled on the other end.

Olivia laughed a bit before she talked. "No, Wen. It's fine. I just got off the phone with Mo. No biggy." In the simplest ways, Wen always managed to put a smile on her face recently. She heard him let out a sigh of relief.

"I thought I startled your sleep. Anyway, since you told me that you're still up, is it okay if I take a bit of your time?" Wen asked.

"Sure, anything you need?" Olivia accepted. There was nothing wrong anyways, she didn't have anything to do the next day. Since she didn't have a decent job yet other than passing some work of hers to magazines and newspapers which gave her some credit. She wishes that she could settle a job soon.

"Answer your door for me?" Wen asked a simple favor which left Olivia puzzled. Why would she answer her door? With that, the doorbell rang. Who could that be and why would they be knocking on someone's door at this time of the night. Olivia still held onto the phone, keeping Wen hanging as she went downstairs to check who it was.

The lights on the porch were off so not even a shadow was given away of who it was outside. She turned on the light at the staircase to help her move through the dark house. Olivia put the phone back onto her ear to check if Wen was still there.

"Hello, Wen?" Olivia asked not too loudly. Surely, it wouldn't wake Stella but it was best to be cautious.

"I'm here. Please open the door?" Wen pleaded.

"Uhm, okay." Olivia was still puzzled. So she approached the door and checked the little window beside it before she opened it up. It was too dark and the person had his back turned so Olivia couldn't see who it was. Olivia opened the door slowly and peeked a little before totally exposing and widening the opening. She was surprised to see Wen standing on the other side. She put down the phone and shoved it into the pocket of her pajama bottoms.

"Hey Liv. Surprised to see me?" Wen said with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. He had put down his phone after he heard the door click open.

"I actually am. What are you doing here?" Olivia asked and bushed after a while, a little embarrassed that she was in her sleeping clothes.

"I was gonna ask if you wanted to come along with me. I wanted to show you something. Well, if it's okay." Wen asked hopingly.

"Be thankful I'm still up. I wonder what you would do if I hadn't answered the phone." Olivia said and gave a little laugh.

"I was hoping you still were. Luckily, I wasn't wrong." Wen smiled. "So, you okay to come?" he asked her.

"Sure, I'm not that sleepy anyway." Olivia smiled back before she looked down at her attire. "Uhm, could you wait for a moment, I think I need to change. You're welcome to come in." Olivia said. Wen nodded and stepped inside. Olivia switched on the lights in the living room for Wen to wait in.

"You're welcome to anything in the fridge as you wait." Olivia said before she ran up the stairs back to her room to change. She quickly closed the door and chose the simplest attire she had in her closet. She wore what she easily saw, which meant a navy blue long sleeved dress which exposed her shoulders and was cut to a little below the knees. She put on a pair of wedges that were at least 2-3 inches high. She put on a little powder on her face to keep it neat and still presentable and ate some mint to keep her breath fresh. She brushed her blonde hair and let her wavy curls flow to her shoulders. Once she was ready, she turned everything in her room off, and placed her phone into a small shoulder bag along with her wallet in case she needed cash. It was better to be sure than not have it at times of need.

She proceeded back down the steps carefully, mindful that Stella was still in the house too. Wen was sitting on the sofa drinking some water before he turned around and stood up. The sound of her coming down probably gave it way since it was quiet. Wen just returned the glass he used into the kitchen and placed it in the sink before he and Olivia went out the door.

"Stella sound asleep?" Wen asked.

"Sure is. I could hear her snoring even halfway down the steps." Olivia laughed and so did Wen. He guided her to his car that was parked on the other side of the street. Wen, being the gentleman that he is, opened the door for her before taking his seat on the driver's side.

"Where are we going?" Olivia asked. Wen hasn't actually mentioned where they were going yet.

"You'll see. I promise you won't regret it." Wen replied without looking at Olivia, keeping his eyes on the road in front.

Olivia decided to wait until they arrived to their destination. The rest of the journey was quiet. At least half an hour later, they arrived at their destination. It was a nice and sullen place, there were people but not a lot. Wen helped her out of the car and they walked on the path of what looked like a park.

"Are there really people here during this time?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, but don't worry, we're not hanging with them." Wen said. He took hold lightly of Olivia's wrist to pull her slowly to the other side of the park, near the river. There weren't any people there. It wasn't too bright either, with the little lights set up in the trees. You could still see the reflection of the night sky and stars on the lake. Wen had brought along a blanket to set on the ground for them to sit on.

"It's so beautiful here. My kind of place." Olivia said as she closed her eyes and took in the smell of the fresh air of the night.

"I knew you would like it, but it's not actually why I brought you here." Wen said as he looked at Olivia. She put her head back down and opened her eyes to see Wen looking at her.

"If this isn't what you wanted to show me, then why are we here?" Olivia asked him. Wen looked down at his watch and mouthed what seemed to be a countdown, she read his lips saying '5,4,3,2,1'. Once one was up, Wen looked at her again and there was a splash of bright shades of colors at the edge of her vision.

She turned her head to see fireworks up in the sky. She watched, taking in the beauty of the bright lights. The colors were wonderful. Some were big and some were small. It wasn't that grand but it was still breathtaking. Olivia let out a small 'wow' as she continued to watch. The fireworks display was kind of long. The wind blew a little and her hands immediately went to her shoulders, which were exposed thanks to the dress she wore. She wanted to slap herself for not bringing along anything to cover her up. The idea of the chilly air didn't actually occur to her earlier.

Wen had seen Olivia's reflex and he immediately took his jacket off to put it around her shoulders. "Thanks." Olivia said and she hugged it around her tightly. She continued to watch the fireworks and Wen smiled at how she loved the sight in front of her. He, too, went back to watching the fireworks.

Olivia wore the jacket properly, inserting her arms into the sleeves, so she could get a more comfortable position as she sat. She leaned a bit back and onto Wen's side for support, her hand set on her thigh as she relaxed a bit. She resisted at first but then leaned her head on Wen's shoulder. She knew that it was kind of awkward for her at first but she let the idea go because she felt comfortable like this. It was about time she let her best friend back into her life for good. As they continued to watch the fireworks, she felt Wen's hand on hers. He held it and grasped it a little. She returned the gesture and signaled to him that it was okay. She sighed and shifted a bit to lean more into him. Wen, too, put his head on top of hers. They sat there, hand in hand, as they watched the beautiful colors in the sky.

* * *

**A/N: There you go, guys. I can't believe that I worked on this in just one night. Okay, I give myself a pat on the back. If I have more ideas jumping into my head more often, I'll be able to update more. Again, thank you for the support. I hope you go with me all the way with this fic. Enjoy. Till the next chapter. Kisses! Send me a review, please. Let me know if you have any ideas or comments. Much appreciated. :D**


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